An Inside Look at Przewalski’s Horse Hooves

Researching wild and feral horse hooves helps us better understand domestic horse hoof health.
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Researchers study feral and wild horses for a variety of reasons. For instance, they evaluate hoof health to help better understand hoof conformation, disease, and lameness in domestic horses. Information gathered about hoof angles, wall thickness, laminitis incidents, and more all offer insight into keeping horses sound.

Brian Hampson, PhD, co-founder of the Australian Brumby Research Unit at the University of Queensland’s School of Veterinary Science in Australia, presented a study looking at foot morphology and foot health in one herd of the Przewalski’s horse at the 2017 International Hoof-Care Summit, held Jan. 24-27 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A History of Domestication

Hampson began with a summary of the history of the horse as different genetic branches separated into domestic horse breeds and wild horses, such as the Przewalski’s horse and the Tarpan. He also clarified that what we often think of as “wild horses,” such as mustangs and the Australian Brumbies, aren’t really wild; they’re feral.

Horses were domestication about 5,500 years ago, said Hampson, and were initially used for milk and meat. Researchers estimate humans started riding horses around 3,000 years ago

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Sarah Evers Conrad has a bachelor’s of arts in journalism and equine science from Western Kentucky University. As a lifelong horse lover and equestrian, Conrad started her career at The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care magazine. She has also worked for the United States Equestrian Federation as the managing editor of Equestrian magazine and director of e-communications and served as content manager/travel writer for a Caribbean travel agency. When she isn’t freelancing, Conrad spends her free time enjoying her family, reading, practicing photography, traveling, crocheting, and being around animals in her Lexington, Kentucky, home.

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